Niger phases out Okada, brings in tricycles

By wole mosadomi
Minna—Use of motorcycles, popularly called Okada is to be phased out in Niger State and replaced with tricycles.
Niger State governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, gave this hint at the commissioning of tricycles labeled, The Chief Servant Ride, held in Minna, yesterday.

He, however, said that the project would come into full operation after government had secured no fewer than 1,000 tricycles to replace the motorcycles presently being used in the state for transportation.

The governor also directed the Director-General of the state transports agency to ensure that other means of transportation were made available in the state to ease movement.

He directed the agency to make sure that the Okada Riders Association in the state was involved in the plan so as not to be caught unaware.

The governor said: “We want our children to go to school and return much more safely using the Chief Servant Ride; and we want our children and women to pay less money for intra-city movement. These and many more are our desires for the people of Niger State as we work assiduously to consolidate the transformation of our dear state within the context of vision 3:20:20.

“The Chief Servant Ride should indeed be of immense service to the people who have given us their mandate.”
Out of the 700 tricycles purchased, only 120 were commissioned at the ceremony while the contractor is expected to supply the balance latest at the end of April.

Already, the state government has allocated a parcel of land to the contractor in the Industrial Layout in Minna, the state capital for the assemblage of the Tricycles.

Each of the Tricycle costs N595,500 but government has subsidized and will be giving each out at N400,000 to enhance the income generation of the people.

The total cost of the 120 Tricycles commissioned is put at N437,986,500.